In 2003, I wrote a book report in middle school that was about hip-hop. That’s as real as it gets, man. From a middle-school me: “Hip-hop to me is an art form, a style, a genre, an influence and a lifestyle. It’s a different type of music style that does not sound like any other type of music. It’s like a baggy, nice, shiny type of clothing.”

I’m walking the beach right now, and I’ve also got an article that I tore out of XXL magazine in 2005, about when LIL WAYNE performed at Club Speed, Dec. 19, 2004. It’s hilarious because you’re talking about 500-plus attendees. Now obviously Wayne can do stadiums. That’s my early motivation. Ain’t it crazy later I made the XXL freshmen list? These papers I’ve saved have been through fires. It’s very, very personal to me.

GUCCI MANE, Lil Wayne, you know, they set the bar. They set the bar still to this day. It was so much inspiration out here in the Bay, too, from E-40, TOO SHORT, Mistah F.A.B., Turf Talk, Keak da Sneak, listening to 106 , listening to Wild 94.9. I feel like I really seen it from a unique perspective.

You’ve got to realize, there was a time where I was the only one doing what I was doing. I was outside at a time when people were saying music was dead, and I was still pushing. It hurt my heart when Nas said hip-hop was dead, and I made it my mission to make sure hip-hop stayed alive. This was before the iPhone.

Just hearing my mom and my dad say they’re proud of me, knowing they have seen me do my thing independently, unsigned. It’s 40, Short, Master P and myself, Brandon McCartney. We did the Jive Records thing with the Pack. I’ve been doing my own thing ever since. I’ve been managing Lil B.

Soulja Boy is a real legend and an inspiration, a pioneer with the music, early on YouTube. He was really at the anime store back then, you know what I’m saying? He don’t get no credit for that. It’s a lot of hype around anime now, but he was going to the store early.

I always looked at myself as giving out swag. I say that humbly. There’s people that have the fire that I see. I appreciate Lil Yachty — he was always holding it down and then taking his career to a whole ’nother level, showing me what’s possible, doing Sprite deals. Future, Tyler, the Creator. Chief Keef — I was changing the game with the music video stuff on YouTube and then he took it the next level. Now I could be influenced off Playboi Carti, you know what I’m saying? And Young Thug took it to the next level.

I’ve still got a lot of homework to do with this hip-hop, right? I need to do my homework on De La Soul. I need to do my homework on Slum Village. I’ve got to really do my Public Enemy homework, you know? What’s the gentleman’s name — MC Serch and his group? A little bit of Beastie Boys homework. It’s so many beautiful people that’s added to this genre and to the culture.

Related Artists
LIL WAYNE
ROC MARCIANO
VIOLENT J
EARL SWEATSHIRT



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"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz